1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift control device for a motorcycle, and to a motorcycle incorporating the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shift control device for a motorcycle provided with a separate shift switch in each of a handlebar and a foot pedal, and to a motorcycle incorporating the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
There is a known shift control device for a vehicle, which is configured such that, when a state of an automatic transmission is switched from neutral to a drive mode by operation of a shift lever arranged in the vehicle, automatic shift is executed according to the traveling state in the drive mode, and by being switched further from the drive mode to a manual shift mode, the manual shift (semi-automatic shift) by operation of shift lever is allowed.
In the Japanese Patent Document JP-A No. 2006-292066, a constitution is disclosed according to which, in a shift control device for a four-wheeled vehicle, one shift lever allowing switching between neutral and a drive mode and shifting of the shift gear stage is erectingly arranged on a floor at a side of a driver's seat.
However, in the constitution described in the Japanese Patent Document JP-A No. 2006-292066, although switching operation of various shift states is allowed by one shift lever, a large and complicated mechanism allowing to change the position of the shift lever front-back and right-left is required. Accordingly, when the shift function described above was to be applied to a motorcycle, it was necessary to arrange a neutral/drive mode (N/D) changeover switch for switching between neutral and a drive mode and a hand operated shift switch for changing the shift gear stage around a handlebar and the like separately.
On the other hand, because it is common to execute shift operation of a motorcycle by a foot pedal, a constitution to provide a foot pedal as a shift switch to allow foot operated shift is conceivable. However there was a problem in that, as far as the foot operated shift was allowed only, two-stage operation of switching the shift gear stage by the foot pedal after hand operated switching from neutral to a drive mode by the N/D changeover switch was required which was different from ordinary foot pedal operation.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art described above. Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a shift control device for a motorcycle allowing operation without a sense of incongruity and easy to use even when a foot operated shift switch by a foot pedal is further provided in one arranged with an N/D changeover switch and a hand operated shift switch around a handlebar of a motorcycle.